Odour-active compounds in banana fruit cv. Giant Cavendish

• SPME and SDE combined with GC–MS for analysis of volatiles in banana cv. Giant Cavendish.
• Total of 146 volatiles were detected, 124 of them were positively identified.
• Volatiles of banana were evaluated by combination of AEDA and OAVs for the first time.
• Thirty-one odorants were considered as odour-active compounds in banana fruit.

Application of solid-phase microextraction, simultaneous distillation–extraction and liquid–liquid extraction, combined with GC–FID, GC–MS, aroma extract dilution analysis, and odour activity value were used to analyse volatile compounds from banana fruit cv. Giant Cavendish and to estimate the most odour-active compounds. The analyses led to the identification of 146 compounds, 124 of them were positively identified. Thirty-one odourants were considered as odour-active compounds and contribute to the typical banana aroma, eleven of them are reported for the first time as odour-active compounds.